How will you reach your destination? By car, plane, bike or on foot? Jennifer Lawson took an extreme sketching adventure recently. She walked 500 miles in 32 days on Spain’s El Camino, with art supplies in her pack.
When I asked her how she dealt with sketching on the trail and when she had time, this was her delightful response: “I mostly sketched once we arrived at our destination, which was usually mid-afternoon, so it offered me time to enjoy, explore and sketch. Once in a while I sketched in the morning before we left or out on the road, but that was usually too complicated, and time was an issue.”
On a trip like that, where you must carry everything, including your art supplies, you really have to plan ahead carefully.
From villages to mountains to wildlife, Jennifer Lawson found plenty to draw on her long hike.
Research your route if you’re going to undertake a journey like this. Be aware of what your options are. As this sketch shows, there were lovely opportunities for food, wine and drawing at stops along the way.
Kolby Kirk hiked 1,700 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, from Campo, California, to Etna Summit, California, carrying everything he needed. Kolby devised this clever palette by cutting off a section of watercolor pencils, then shaving them back to expose the lead.